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Ask the Maple Leafs prospect and Canadian junior about his beloved dog and he lays them on the table.

"I love my dog," Rielly said with a big smile. "I'm a huge animal guy. There are times when I'm in Moose Jaw and I miss her, and I'll ask my mom to send me pictures. I have a whole bunch on my iPhone now."

You can bet the photos of Maggie, a yellow lab, will get a good workout in Ufa, Russia, as Rielly helps represent Canada in the 2013 world junior championship.

Maggie was bought by the Rielly family 18 months ago after their previous pooch passed away. When Morgan arrived home in West Vancouver, B.C., from Moose Jaw, Sask., following his first season with the Western Hockey League's Warriors in the spring of 2011, one of the first things he wanted to do was to get a new dog.

"He was not home for two weeks and he had us in the car, driving out to kennels," Morgan's mom, Shirley, recalled. "We just had to get a new puppy.

"Even though he is home only for a couple of months, here we are with a 1 1/2-year-old lab. She's the first thing he asks about and the last thing he comments on."

Said Andy Rielly, Morgan's dad: "The day we went to get her at a farm, we were lucky to get out of there with just one dog. They opened a gate about 11 of them came out and played with Morgan."

The Leafs got a close look at the personal side of Rielly when they visited him at home on the Friday before the draft last June. Leafs vice-president of hockey operations Dave Poulin and Dave Morrison, the club's director of amateur scouting, got to know Rielly through various interviews and watching him play. But part of their homework included a flight west for more of an intimate meeting.

"It legitimized what we thought about him," Morrison said. "We just got to see why he was such a grounded, well-rounded kid. They were a really solid family. We could see why Morgan is the way he is. He was brought up with the right morals and values. I think it's what we took away from it."

The gathering, which lasted for much of the afternoon that day, left an impression on the Riellys as well. Poulin gave a Maple Leafs pin to Andy, and though there were whispers that the Minnesota Wild really liked Morgan at No. 7 (they wound up with defenceman Mathew Dumba, who was cut at Canada's selection camp last week), the thought that their son could be taken by Toronto was almost too good to consider.

"We really hit it off with them," Andy Rielly said. "They left, and I said that we shouldn't get our hopes up, but we knew the Leafs were a young team on the way up and Morgan would love to be a part of that."

When Rielly starts to patrol the blue line in Toronto is anyone's guess. The Leafs are going to let him play in the entire world junior, but if the NHL lockout ends while Canada is trying to win gold, Rielly could find himself in Toronto at the end of the tournament.

For now, the Leafs know what they want to witness in the 18-year-old, who is eligible for play for Canada again next winter, in Russia.

Rielly is one of four Leafs prospects, along with U.S forward Tyler Biggs and goalie Garret Sparks and Sweden defenceman Tom Nilsson, slated to participate in the world junior championship.

"We just want to see Morgan do the best he possibly can and contribute to a winning team," said Morrison, who played in the 1982 world junior for Canada. "It's a real team tournament, not about individual players.

"We're excited to see what he is capable of, especially on the bigger ice. We want to see him grow as a player. Do whatever it takes to help."

It's about the same thing the kid wants from himself.

"Play a good team game, play hard every game," Rielly said. "Do what the coaches want of me. It's always good when the coach gives you an opportunity to play your game. I have to take advantage of it."

The Riellys have spent the past few weeks getting their passports and Russian visa applications in order in preparation for the trip. Along the way, they have not simply assumed that their son would be playing for Canada, even though it was quite clear before the selection camp started in Calgary.

On the tiny chance Morgan would be cut -- despite not playing in either game in the camp, which indicated he was solid in the eyes of head coach Steve Spott and his staff -- Andy flew to Calgary last Thursday to be with his son if the unthinkable happened.

Of course, it didn't. From his spot on defence, Rielly will be expected to be a key part of Canada's attack, considering his mobility and talent for moving the puck.

"The first time he wore that sweater, we were in Germany for the under-18 world championship (in April 2011)," Andy said. "I started welling up. There was my son wearing that red jersey.

"Now, for him to be on this team, with that calibre of players, we're so proud.

"We would get up and watch every game together (of past world juniors). Now, for Morgan to be part of it, it's a bit surreal."

A glimpse of why Vancouver native was highly regarded by Toronto club

Ask the Maple Leafs prospect and Canadian junior about his beloved dog and he lays them on the table.

"I love my dog," Rielly said with a big smile. "I'm a huge animal guy. There are times when I'm in Moose Jaw and I miss her, and I'll ask my mom to send me pictures. I have a whole bunch on my iPhone now."